Has swimming helped improve your posture and spine?
Former Member
I think it's obvious that regular swimming should help improve posture, especially the spine. I feel it even makes us walk better. What are your experiences? I was a little surprised to have seen quite a few swimmers (mostly women in their 50's-60's) with hunchbacks where I swim. They go swimming almost every day, but the curved spines are very visible when they do freestyle. Was it that they took up swimming after having already developed spine problems? Otherwise, if they had been swimming most of their lives, shouldn't they have a great physique?
Parents
Former Member
Our bones are constantly breaking down and rebuilding themselves. One thing that "tells" the bones to rebuild is weight-bearing exercise. "Weight-bearing" means working against gravity. Walking, running, and weightlifting are all weight-bearing activities. Swimming and bicycling are NOT weight-bearing activities because you're not working against gravity.
Swimming is great for cardiovascular health, but not for bone health. You need to mix in a weight-bearing activity for bone health.
Our bones are constantly breaking down and rebuilding themselves. One thing that "tells" the bones to rebuild is weight-bearing exercise. "Weight-bearing" means working against gravity. Walking, running, and weightlifting are all weight-bearing activities. Swimming and bicycling are NOT weight-bearing activities because you're not working against gravity.
Swimming is great for cardiovascular health, but not for bone health. You need to mix in a weight-bearing activity for bone health.
